Container for secondary batteries.



, wfne/sses E. L. OPPERMANN. CONTAINER FOR SECONDARY BATTERIES.

APPLICATION I'ILBD AUG.22,1908.

932,637. Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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E9 Q? Q a 9 v I I 6-463 E. L. OPPBRMANN.

CONTAINER FOR SECONDARY BATTERIES.

APPLICATION IILBD AUG. 22, 1908.

932,637, Patented Aug. 31. 1909.

2 SHEBTSSHEET 2.

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witnesses.

EMIL LAURENCE OPPERMANN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

CONTAINER FOR SECONDARY BATTERIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

Application filed August 22', 1908. Serial No. 449,761.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL Laurence Or- PERMANN, a subject of the King of England, and residing at London, England, electrical engineer, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Containers for Secondary Batteries, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to secondary batteries and has reference-to the construction of the container or casing for the cells of which the battery is composed.-

It has for its object the construction of a composite container which shall be free from the defects of existing containers, and consists essentially .of a thin metal frame or body lined Withebonite, vulcanite or the like. The frame is flanged or lipped at top, this lip being preferably bent "below the horizontal so as to afford with a correspondingly shaped lid and a rubber gasket, an eflicient seal or joint to the lid which in articular will prevent creeping or leakage 0 the acid.

'lheinrention is particularly applicable to use in storage batteries employed in submarine vessels. 7

The invention is hereafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is an elevation of the composite container. Fig. 2 is a plan of the composite container, from the underside. Fig. 3 is a plan of the lid. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the. composite container. Fig. 5 shows a suitable formof rubber gasket. "Fig.

6 is a part section on a larger scale of a modi-J fied form. Fig. 7 shows the flexible insuf lator cord. 7 v i I v The body a of the container may be-made of pressed sheet-steel or other suitable metal, formed to the trou h, tank, or box-sha edesired. The top edges a of this b jacent containers maybe brought closer to gether. p

The body so formed-by ca-stin stamping and blocking, or the like is provided with a lid 0 also of metal which likewise-may be faced with cbonite c and is shaped at its edges to correspond with the flanges or lips y {a e flangedover and preferably bent down as a of the body a. Fig. -t-shows the container body cast or stamped in one piece. A rubber gasket or the like at is interposed between the lid 0 and the body portion a a and clamps may be provided to hold the arts together. In the drawings I have shown olts e passing through bosses f in the lid 0 for this purample ofa mumber of insulators h threaded upon a flexible support such'as a cord 11 wound around the body a of the container. It is intended to wind such an insulating cord around alternate containers, only one such guard or insulator being necessary between adjacent containers.

The lid 0 is preferably provided with transverse ribs Z to strengthen the same and at suitablepositions are provided a hole m for a vent and holes n for the terminals 0, the rubber d below the lid being preferably extended up through said holes and aboutsaid vent and termina1s in the form of nip- )les or sleeves d. The connecting bars 7) 110m which the plates 1' of the cell are supported may be suspended from the lid by means of one or more nuts 8 screwed on the lugs of said'bar above said lid, and these .lugs o of opposite bars form the terminals. The ribs Z are shown perforated at Z so that when the lid has been unfastened from the tank the lid carrying and supporting the cell plates may be lifted away from the container. For this purpose a chain or the like liftin device may be passed through the holes 1 r The improved container or casing above described maybe made of any convenient vsizes and thickness and the body may be made of any suitable metal. For example the body maybe made of sheet-iron tinned, of one 'sixteenthof an inch thickness and the ebonite lining ma be, for example, of one eighth-of an inc thickness; other thicknesses or proportions may, however, be used.

It will be noticed from an examination of I Fig. 2, that the sides and ends of the metal body are joined by overlapping and rolling their medium and vertical edges around one another so as to form folded seams A.

"In this way the tankbody. maybe made faced int or to. the 1f b d is. thus. P i for the ebonite lining; The bot-" ofseveral pieces of 1netal and a flat-surtom a of the tankis shown in 1 se-.

. a cured to the bodyav by means ofoneof the vformed in one piece, the. sides and ends. being connected and, fastened together by aforesaid bands g. The bottom a is sea-ms a correspondingwith the scams (1 of thebody a. The lining may besecured in position in any convenientmanner for instance by rolling or by pressure from within in the course of construction.

The lid may be made of sheet metal lined with ebonite or the like, or it may be made. 0

as a plain metal casting, shaped to the downturned lips of the body or contamer.

' It is'to be noted that'this im roved container isincombustible, non-britt e and nonleaking. It may be made comparatively light in weight and is much cheaper in cost thancontainers made entirely of vulcanite 1 or similar acld-proof and lnsulatmg material,

whichneed to be of considerable see- Q tional thickness.

- I claim as such and desire to secure by Let.-

Having thus described my invention what ters Patent is i- 1., ,A container for the cells of a secondary ane [ yrespondingly'shaped lid covering said tank battery, comprising a thin metal holder of tank shape, a lip to said tank holder, said "lip. ,"e xten'ding outwardly from and around k top and being downturned, a lining ..ating materialwithin said tank and dfover. said downturned lip,'a cor- .sa'id 1i ,1 and a rubber Washer between I 2, A container forthe cells of, asecondary battery, comprising. a thin metal. holder of i .thejta'nk top andbeing downtnrned,'a'linin I oontaineriffor=-secondary hatter I b cells, coniprisin'ga tank bod". 1 of thin meta a-Qflangedlip to saidJtank odyiox endin outwardly from the top of saidtbody, sai

of insulating material within'fsaid tank an extended over said downturned lip, .a correspending-1y shaped 11d cotverin e tank and sand 11p," sa1dl1d;}beinga:o metal. and faced on. its underside withyinsulating inaj terial,;a rubber :gasketbetween; the lid and or lamping the the tank and], means V f lipfbei'ng continuous and. .downturned on each of thesides of the said body,strength- 'enin'g. bands around" said" tank body, a

sheathing of insulating material on the interior ofsaid tank bodyland'extending over said said lip, a lid to said tank, said lid bein shaped at its edges to corres 0nd with an to cover said flanged l1 a ru ber gasket a rranged between said li and lip, and means for securing said lid to said tank.

4 A "container for secondarybatte cells, comprising a tank body of thin metzill an outwardly extending flan e'from the top of each side ofsaid tankbod said lips being downturnedand connected together to form a continuous lip, a linin of insulating material to said tank'body, said lining bein continued over'said li a lid covering sai tank body and shap' at its edges to conform withsaid downturned lip, said lid .having holes fora vent and terminals, a

rubber gasket between said lid and tank, said gasket having hollow nip les passin up said holes, and means for olding said lid to said tank.

'5. A container for secondar -battery cells, comprising a tank body of t in metal, an outwardly extending flan from the top of each side of said tankbod y said lips being (lownturned and connected together to form a continuous lip, alining of insulating material to said tank body, said lining bein continuedover said li a lid covering sai tank-body and shape at itsedges to conform with said downturned lip, said lid having'holes-for a vent and terminals, [1 rubber gasket between said lid and tank, gasket. having hollow nipples pas'sin up said holes, and means for securing sai lid to said tank. a

6. A container -;f0r secondary+battery /cells, com rising a tank body of thin sheet metal, a fiimged ii at the top of said tank extending outwar ly from said tank, said lip being downturned,.a lining to said tank,

xsaid lining being of insulating material and extending over said lip, a lid to said tank, said lid havin its edges ada ted to correspond with t e downturne lip tank, a rubber gasket between sa d lid and said tank, said lid having passages for the vent and plate terminals, hollow sleeves on said; gasket adapted to pass up said passages in the lid and to insulate said vent and terminals, and means for securing said lid to said tank.

of said .t 7. A container for.- secondar battery I cells, comprising a tank body 0 thin sheet a metal, a fianged H at the' toppf saidtank extending outwar ly from said tank, said lip'bein downturned" a linin to said tank,

material and over said lip,-. a li to said tank, aving itsedgesadapted to corresaidlimng being of insulatin extendingl i? said lid spond with the downturned lip of said tank, arubber gasketbetween said lid and said tank, said lid having passages for the vent and plate terminals, hollow. sleeves on said gasket adapted to pass up said passages in the lid and to insulate saidvent and terminals, transverse ribs u on said lid, means for engaging said ribs wl iereby said lid may be lifted, and means for bolting said lid to said tan y l 8. A container for secondary ba-ttery cells, comprising a thin metal tank body, outwardly extending-flanges at .the top of said tank body to form a continuous lip, said lip being downturned, aliningtosaid tank body of insulating material, said lining being continued over said downturned 11p, a lid to said tank, said lid having edges shaped to correspond with the downturned lip and to afford with the latter a seal, a rubber gasket between said tank, tank lip and lid, said lid having holes and hollow nipples extending from the gasket up through said holes, bolts passing through said lip and the edges of said lid, nuts co-acting with said bolts to secure said lid to the tank body and bosses on the downturned edges'of the lid to aliord seatings for said nuts.

9. A container for secondary-battery cells, comprising a thin metal tank body, outwardlyextending flanges at the top of said tankbody to form a continuous lip, said lip being downturned, a" lining to said tank body of insulating material, said lining being continued over said downturned hp, a coating'of non-corrodible material on the exterior of said tank body, a lid tosaid tank, said lid having edges shaped to correspond with and fit over the downturned 1i a rubber gasket between said tank and id, said lid having. passages for the vent and terminals and sleeves formed on said gasket extending up through said passages, said lid having means whereby it may be secured to said tank body.

10. A container for secondary-battery cells, comprising a thin metal body, a flanged lip from said body, said lip extending outwardly and angularly downwardly, an interior lining to said body of insulating material, said ining being continued over said lip, a lid to said tank body, having its edges shaped to correspond with said lip, a gasket.

between said lid and said body, means for holding said lid to said tank body, said lid having passa es through it, hollow sleeves formed on t e gasket and extending up throu b said assages a flexible support woun about t e exterior of the tank body and insulators threaded upon said flexiblesupport.

11. A container for secondary-battery cells, comprising a tank body of sheet metal,

a flanged lip .at thetop of. said body, said lip being downturned angularly from the said body and outwardly therefrom, a lining of ebonite or vulcanite to said tank body, said lining being continued over said lip, a lid to said tank body having edges shaped to correspond with said lip, a rubber gasket between said lid and body, means for bolding said lip to said body so that b means of the interposed gasket a seal is ormed between said lid and lip, said lid having passages'through its middle portion for the vent and plate terminals,- hollow sleeves for the vent and terminals passing from the gasket up through said passages and surrounding strengthening bands formed upon the outside of said tank body.

12. A container for secondary-battery cells, comprising a sheet metal tank body, a lip extending outwardly and angularly downward from the top of said bod a lining of insulating material for said tank body, said lining extending over the angular lip, a metal lid to said tank body, said lid having edges downturned to correspond with the top of said tank, a sheathing of insulating matenial on the underside of said lid, agasketbetween said lid-sheathing and said tank, said lid and lid-lining having passages for vent and cell-terminals, sleeves for said vent and terminals integral with said gasket so as to isolate said terminals from Sfild lid, and means for holding the parts together.

13. A container for secomlary-l'iattery cells, comprisin a thin metal body of rectangular tank sllape, a lip cxtendlng from each side of said rectangular tank, said lips being continuous one with the other and downturned angularly, a lining for the interior of said tank, said lining being of insulating material and extending over said lid, a rubber gasket between said lid and tank, said lid havin holes for the passage of the terminals an vent, strengthening bands around the exterior of said tank body, a coating of non-co'rrodibl'e material on the exterior of said tank and bands, bosses on the lip of the lid to afford a square seating and bolts passing through holes in said lip and bosses on the lid edges, said bolts "having 

